Generally, the term “computer system” refers to either a stand-alone system or a plurality of interconnected systems, such as, for instance, a client-server network. Regardless of the implementation, the various components making up a computer system typically operate within a range of parameters defined by performance protocols or standards. For instance, the temperature within a computer chassis is often monitored in order to detect periods in time when the system may rise above a certain predetermined temperature reading. Other forms of information that may be monitored within a computer system include, without limitation, voltages associated with semiconductor components located on the baseboard of the system, velocity (e.g., rpm) of cooling fans located on the baseboard or within the system chassis, and the velocity of spindle motors within hard disk drives or optical drives.
Various types of sensors are being used to detect operating and performance-related parameters associated with a computer system and its constituent components. Referring to the examples provided above, these sensors include thermostats, voltage meters and tachometers. A computer system typically employs one or more management modules to assist in the collection and analysis of information sensed by the various sensors measuring operating and performance-related parameters within the system. These management modules may be either software or hardware components, but typically encompass both hardware and software components. One such management module is referred to as a “Baseboard Management Controller” (BMC). The BMC is a microcontroller integrated into the baseboard (also known in the industry as the “motherboard”) of a computer system and having a specified number of contact pins through which information sensed by various sensors is received for analysis by the BMC. In order to perform this analysis, the BMC is programmed with firmware for implementing procedures relating to system monitoring and recovery. With this firmware, the BMC is programmed to monitor various operating and performance-related parameters sensed within a computer system and to analyze this information to determine whether any of the sensed parameters are currently outside of an expected or recommended operating range, the occurrence of which is commonly referred to as an “event.”
The BMC must have knowledge of the types of sensors and devices connected to the contact pins of the BMC in order to correctly ascertain whether any events are occurring in the computer system. The BMC is typically integrated as a component on the baseboard of a computer system, and therefore, it is generally more efficient for baseboard designers to incorporate this knowledge into the BMC during design and manufacturing processes. Unfortunately, the specific layout, i.e., “configuration,” of sensors and devices coupled to the contact pins of a BMC dramatically varies from one implementation to another. This variance is commonly based on the preferences of the customers requesting the design/manufacture of the baseboards. As such, it is virtually impossible for designers (also known in the industry as OEMs) to “standardize” the firmware for the BMCs that they are designing and subsequently manufacturing for their customers. For this reason, BMC firmware is typically customized for each configuration requested by separate customers.
The current approach to configuring a BMC for use on a particular baseboard configuration is to manually incorporate into the BMC firmware a software routine containing information identifying the sensors and devices that are specified for that particular configuration. This approach has several drawbacks. First, this approach is extremely time-consuming and requires a significant amount of expertise in firmware/software programming. As such, this current method is not only costly, but also subject to human error. Second, and for similar reasons, updating the firmware of a BMC is a tedious and complicated manual process if, for any reason during the life of the baseboard, the configuration of the baseboard were to change. Thus, the end user of the computer system will most likely not have the expertise to perform the update; rather, the user would most likely have to defer to the assistance of a third party programmer, who undoubtedly will charge dearly for his or her time.